It’s that time of year again. The time that kids dread and (many) parents look forward to as students start back to school. The first couple of weeks are inevitable the most difficult as new relationships and schedules are put in place and kids and teachers alike try to jump start learning process that has all but gone on hiatus over the summer vacation.

To ensure your student excels through this transition and the rest of the year lets go over a few things you can do to help your child and their teacher.

1.) Ensure plenty of sleep. Current research shows children need at least 8 hours of sleep per night, sometimes more depending on growth stages, stress, illness, etc. Set a bedtime that allows them to get plenty of sleep at stick to it. Understand how you feel on days when you didn’t get enough sleep then realize a child’s sleep is much more crucial as they are not only physically growing but are developing the neural processes that will be with them the rest of their life.

2.) Proper nutrition is a must. I won’t go into tremendous detail on this one. That is another article altogether. Realize the body can only perform as good as the fuel you give it. If you drive a Corvette and frequently fill up with 87 octane and don’t change the filters or oil do you think your car will last long? We are talking about your child though. You can’t expect him or her to perform at their best if they are being fueled by processed cereals and sugars for breakfast and fast food (I use the term food very loosely here) for dinner. Strive for 8-12 servings of fruits and veggies every day. Your child will not only maintain their energy longer but will thrive in any environment.

3.) Last but certainly not least, make sure your child is active. How many of you knew that the same areas responsible for movement and balance in our brain are directly linked to the area responsible for forming long term memories and decision making. Knowing that, we can understand the importance of movement and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle. Whether it is playing a sport, riding a bike, etc., you owe it to your children to encourage them to stay active. As a rule in my house, when the weather starts warming up the video games go on hiatus until next winter.

One more thing you can do to encourage your student is staying active is to contact your teacher or principal and ask them to replace standard chairs with balance balls. Sitting on a ball not only forces you to engage muscles and improve posture, it also fires those pathways I mentioned that will facilitate memory formation and critical decision making.

These are just a few tips on helping your child in the education process. Remember the most important thing to do for your child is to say you love them and show them.

Yours in health,

Dr. J